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Home birth
Before 1970, home birth was commonplace and midwives were the people who cared for women in normal labour. But during the 1970s maternity care was centralised, in the belief that it would be safer and more economical.
These changes meant that women had to travel to clinics for their antenatal care and hospital births became the norm. As a result the concept of the local community midwife was lost and many midwives became disillusioned with the type of midwifery care provided in hospitals.
Over the last 30 years, women have been trying to reclaim control of how and where birth happens. Research has demonstrated that hospital births are no safer than home births and shows that women are more at risk of infection in hospital. They are also more likely to face interventions in their labour.
Home births are available on the NHS but in many health authorities, midwives lack the necessary experience and support from managers. In other areas women are told that staff shortages mean midwives can't cover home births. As a result, couples have turned to independent midwives for their antenatal care.
Independent midwives are trained to provide all the care required for normal pregnancy, labour and the post-natal period.
What’s most important is the continuity of care on offer.
The couple know the midwife who will be there for the birth, she's on call for the couple 24hrs a day from the moment they book in and it's a true partnership of trust.
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